Scientists at the University of Buffalo explained how nutrient-poor environments led certain plants to “turned the tables” and become the hunter.

The report explained: “To the average plant-eating human, the thought of a plant turning the tables to feast on an animal might seem like a lurid novelty.

“Now, science is showing just how remarkable these macabre traits really are.”

The study revealed how a huge variety of plants all became carnivorous in the same way: by desperately being pushed to their evolutionary limits by barren or nutrient-poor environments.

Report co-author Kenji Fukushima said: “Carnivorous plants often live in nutrient-poor environments, so the ability to trap and digest animals can be indispensable given the dearth of other sources of nourishment."

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An unsuspecting bee dicing with death on a Venus flytrap

The report explained the complex evolutionary process needed to turn insects into predators to plant food.

It said they did so by "co-opting many of the same ancient proteins to create enzymes for digesting prey”.

The report expanded: “Over time, in all three species, plant protein families that originally assisted in self-defence against disease and other stresses developed into the digestive enzymes we see today, genetic clues suggest."

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A deadly pitcher plant, which traps insects in a gooey, digestive liquid

This evolutionary jump has created a huge variety of hungry plants, from the infamous Venus flytrap to Pitcher plants.